Osaka Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“A fabulous night at authentic local venues in Osaka”

Ryoko took us out for an amazing evening in Osaka - each of the three stops she chose, all frequented by locals, was superb. At the first bar, we tried several sake flights accompanied by snacks that were unfamiliar to us, and loved every item. At the second place, we tried a large assortment of sashimi and sushi, accompanied by more sake (informed by our tasting at the previous bar). Plus, we had the chance to order extra things we particularly wished to try (we added pufferfish sushi for instance). The menu was extensive, and Ryoko checked to make sure we were happy to try everything - and I'm so happy we did. Finally, we arrived at an all-you-can drink tiny karaoke bar, and enjoyed karaoke with the locals, who were friendly and welcoming, choosing English songs while we were present. There was no pressure to sing, but we did, and had the best time. (I thought we'd better leave rather than stay when our tour was over, so the locals didn't have to sing in English all night, but it would have been very easy to stay!) Ryoko curated a fantastic night for us. She's smart, considerate, excellent company, very accomplished, and speaks very good English. We feel very lucky to have booked her, and I recommend her as a guide to anyone visiting Osaka. Thanks so much, Ryoko, for a fun and memorable night!

“Terrific day in Kyoto!”

With only a day in my itinerary and an array of places that I was keen to visit, Hiroko was able expertly both plan the itinerary for me and guide me warmly, efficiently and informatively through the parts of Kyoto I wanted to see. I'd had a bit of a mixed bag of experiences in Kyoto the last time I was there because it was quite so busy, and I indirectly set her the unenviable goal of trying to rectify that somewhat. I let her know how I'd maybe been a bit hurried and overwhelmed by the crowds, and that I wanted to get a feel more for the history and culture of Kyoto rather than just the sightseeing spots. Hiroko took that brief and put together a lovely itinerary with a combination of the two and scheduled around my heading to and from Osaka for the day. So a nice balance of seeing a range of places, but not at too hurried of a pace. It was an absolute pleasure spending the day with her, and I can wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone who has a specific idea of what they want to get out of Kyoto, or just generally wants a local knowledgable guide.

Hiroko D.

(117 reviews)

Gary, I am extremely grateful for your warm-hearted and generous review. You are so gentle and considerate, and I really enjoyed your company as a guide in Kyoto. Hope the moments of tranquility at the temples soothed your mind a little during the tour. If you get a chance in near future, please come and visit over here again. All the best, Hiroko

“Amazing time with Niko in Osaka”

Our family had an amazing time with Niko. Her bubbly personality made our day extra special. She was very knowledgable on the sites we visited, and the secret streets only the locals know. Niko was able to costumise our itinery for the day, so we weren't doubling up on things we had already seen. We would definately do a tour with Niko again.